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media
Key Theories
Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze
Women are objectified in media, viewed through a masculine perspective.
Key terms: Objectification, Scopophilia, Voyeurism.
Stuart Hall – Reception Theory
Media messages are encoded by producers and decoded by audiences:
Dominant: Fully accepts the intended message.
Negotiated: Partially agrees.
Oppositional: Rejects the message.
Key term: Polysemy (multiple meanings).
Richard Dyer – Stereotypes
Stereotypes reinforce power dynamics and inequality.
Media exaggerates differences, creating binary oppositions.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Audiences actively consume media to satisfy needs:
Social Interaction, Education, Personal Identity, Entertainment.
Hypodermic Needle Model
Media injects messages directly into passive audiences.
Steve Neale – Genre Theory
Genres balance repetition (familiar conventions) and difference (innovation).
Representation
Areas Covered: Gender, race, social class, regional identity, and sexuality.
Key Effects: Prejudice, discrimination, misrepresentation, underrepresentation.
Examples:
Black Panther: Positive representation of Black culture.
Transformers: Women objectified (male gaze).
This Girl Can: Challenges female stereotypes.
Media Language
Cinematography: Camera angles (low/high), shots (close-up, long shot).
Mise-en-Scène: Costume, props, setting, lighting, body language.
Editing: Cuts, cross-cutting, fades, jump cuts.
Sound: Diegetic, non-diegetic, ambient, contrapuntal.
Typical Exam Questions
Explain "polysemy" using an example.
Evaluate how media texts represent women for the male gaze.
Analyze how mise-en-scène creates meaning in a given clip.
Explain the "preferred reading" of a media text.
How does editing create meaning for the audience?
Key Terms to Use
Representation: Constructed, mediated, stereotypical, counter-representation.
Media Effects: Bias, inequality, audience positioning.
Analysis Phrases: "This suggests," "This implies," "We can infer."